Uk

Mobile operators in the UK have rejected government proposals on setting up national roaming, according to the Financial Times. Earlier this year, operators were urged by officials to look into the possibility of sharing infrastructure in rural parts of the country, as well as locations where consumers seemingly loose signal coverage. While this would help prevent customers experiencing drop outs in connectivity, mobile operators didn't believe the plans to be viable.

The UK government published a new report highlighting mobile theft in the country. According to the statistics, iPhones are more likely to be targeted in a theft, followed by BlackBerry smartphones and Samsung's offerings.

If you're looking for a sweet deal with regards to using data abroad on this year's holiday, O2 may well have the right bundle price at just £2 a day. We've all been in that situation, looking at pricing and being stunned by just how expensive roaming can be, even when travelling within the EU. UK mobile operators are attempting to tackle the issue of high charges (as is the EU, which hopes to have said charges abolished by 2015).

UK mobile operator Three has announced new SIM-only plans, enabling consumers to save on calling 08- numbers. Free 0800 calls will be included, while other 08- numbers (084, 087, etc) will cost 5p per minute. The network will also be introducing new spending tools, which will prevent customers from exceeding allowances and limits on premium numbers. On top of all this, new allowances for tethering will be rolled out.

The UK government is looking to reinforce powers of security services to require internet and phone providers to maintain records of customer email and calls. Emergency laws are to be introduced into the Commons next Monday, following private talks and gaining support of both Labour and the Liberal Democrats on the basis that there will be new board to oversee the functioning of new powers. The move is an effort to continue protecting UK citizens from external threats.

UK mobile operators could be made to share networks in rural areas where signal is weak, under plans to provide better services to consumers from all network operators. Ministers have put forward the plan to prevent situations where only one or two major operators are available in certain parts of the country, providing consumers with more choice as to who they wish to hold a contract with. This is before the UK (and EU in general) look at 5G in years to come.

UK mobile operator EE has today announced trials for calls to be held over Wi-Fi will commence later this year. The trial is part of a £275 million investment in advanced voice capabilities, helping connect more rural parts of the UK who don't have the strongest levels of signal with EE. Launching the trial later this year, EE has also upgraded both 2G and 3G sites to handle the increased data usage across the network and make way for 4G calling services to launch in 2015.

Just days after its conclusion on TV, the fourth season of Game of Thrones is available for Brits to stream through Google Play and Amazon Instant Video. The entire ten-episode run will set you back £18.49 in SD or £24.49 in HD from Google Play or £16.99-23.99 from Amazon. Google offers a little bonus content with a season purchase, however, including an inside look at the Valyrian language, a recap of season three, and a preview of some of the new characters and locales in season four. If you want to pay by the episode, each one will cost £2.49 in HD or £1.89 in SD.

There's no sign of the latest season appearing on either platform in the U.S. yet, so American fans will need to go directly to HBO for their Thrones fix.

British mobile operator Three has announced that from July 1 it'll be adding five new countries to its "Feel at Home" scheme, which allows customers to use their UK voice, text and data allowances abroad without additional roaming charges.

Vodafone as announced price rises for the UK market, which could see monthly bills go up by as much as 10 percent. While contracts themselves will not be altered, the mobile operator will be increasing the amount charged on use above customer allowances. The company will calculate how much bills will be increased using a three month profile of each customer's bill. Should consumers be disappointed with the increase, they can leave the operator without charge.